Tag Archives: real estate agent

If your farmhouse decor is beginning to feel a bit dated, here are some ways to transform your interior design from rustic to modern.

The new “farmhouse industrial” style combines whitewashed woods, distressed finishes and modern metals, according to PotteryBarn.com. Comfortable, casual and inviting are the three words that best describe this updated look. In addition to wrought iron, galvanized metal and black accent pieces, including a pop of dark red accessories creates a cozy and family-friendly living space.

Here are three predictions about the housing market, according to the Home Price Expectations Survey compiled by the research firm Pulsenomics.

· “Our most optimistic group of experts expects 31.2% cumulative home value appreciation through 2024, while our most pessimistic group expects a cumulative gain of just 7.8% over the same period,” reports Pulsenomics. The discrepancy among real estate experts is likely because this past decade has been unusual and therefore not a good predictor of what the future may hold. Is this lengthy seller’s market the new normal, or will the housing market eventually return to its historic patterns?

· Members of Generation Z (today’s young adults under the age of 24) are expected to exceed the homeownership rate of millennials when they reach ages 35 to 44.

· A significant number of those polled in the survey say younger millennials along with the Gen Z demographic may have an easier time qualifying for their first home purchase because housing values are predicted to even out, causing the required income-to-mortgage ratio to decline.

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Five Star award Winner 2011- 2020 honoring the top 7% of real estate professionals in Oregon.

Here are two mistakes buyers often make when shopping for a home, according to Realtor.com®.

Not sticking to a budgetOnce you’ve set a housing budget, try to avoid getting emotionally attached to a home that’s way out of your price range. Borrowing more than you can comfortably afford can lead to long-term financial problems. One rule of thumb says that your total monthly mortgage plus other debts (car payments, student loans, credit cards, etc.) should not exceed 43% of your pretax earnings.

Not comparing lendersYou can save money both in the short-term (closing costs) and long-term (interest rates) by shopping around before committing to a mortgage. You may want to begin with your own bank, but check with other banks, mortgage brokers or online lenders as well.

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Five Star award Winner 2011- 2020 honoring the top 7% of real estate professionals in Oregon.

Buyers scour the internet looking at listings and hoping for just the right photo to inspire that feeling of home. If you want to attract buyers to your property, here are some suggestions from Realtor.com®.

Your home’s curbside photo creates that initial spark in a buyer’s mind. Most often the first listing photo buyers view is the front of the house. Be sure your property’s curb appeal includes an inviting front entry and attractive landscaping. The lighting needs to be just right so that the exterior details are not too dark and the sunlight doesn’t wash out the house color.

Some listings lead with a photo of a newly remodeled kitchen or a great room with an impressive fireplace. Interior photos need to be eye-catching, stylish and sparkling clean.

Younger buyers with children and pets may dream of a big backyard with space for outdoor play and entertaining. Highlighting a fire pit or well-maintained garden in the photos may increase a buyer’s interest.

I am a certified staging agent and use a professional photographer to give your house the best opportunity to sell. That way you get the most money in the shortest time possible! Call me today and we can get started on selling your home or buying your dream home!

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Five Star award Winner 2011- 2019 honoring the top 7% of real estate professionals in Oregon.

After years of normalizing neutral color palettes, for example, designers are embracing more colorful trends to showcase personality in homes. REALTOR® Magazine’s Styled, staged and sold blog asked designers and stagers what home interior trends they’re most grateful for this year. Here are their top picks.

1. More colorful spaces

Goodbye, white kitchens and gray walls. More color is moving in. Homeowners favor bolder hues inside the home, not just for pops of color but also as a base color for an entire room. Paint companies have chosen variations of blues, pinks, and greens as their picks for 2020 color of the year. These colors also are being splashed on kitchen cabinets, exterior doors, and home accessories.

The paint firm PPG selected Chinese porcelain, a blend of cobalt and muted navy tones, as its 2020 color of the year. Sherwin Williams followed suit with Naval, a deep navy blue.

Behr’s top 2020 pick is a meadow-inspired yellowish green called Back to Nature.

Pinks also are catching on. HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams, the company’s offshoot brand, chose a blush hue called Romance, while Benjamin Moore chose a soft, rosy hue called First Light.

2. Luxury vinyl flooring

A design trend that’s stylish but low maintenance, luxury vinyl is enjoying popularity as an alternative to hardwood and ceramic tile flooring. Vinyl is touted as being cheaper, warmer, and softer on your feet; it also requires less upkeep than traditional hardwood or tile.

Today’s luxury vinyl shouldn’t be mistaken for linoleum and other varieties of sheet flooring. Luxury vinyl can be laid out in planks, tiles, and sheets, and it comes in trendy finishes. Luxury vinyl planks can resemble the look of hardwood and are offered in handscraped and wide plank varieties. The planks can be installed diagonally or in a trendy herringbone pattern, and they also can resemble tile and marble.

The lower maintenance of luxury vinyl is appealing to families with young children and pets. It’s a water-resistant material that works easily in kitchens and bathrooms.

3. Voice-controlled smart appliances

Alexa, Google Home, and Siri are ushering in a new and advanced era of smart-home technology. The choices are growing, too: Smart plugs, for example, cost as little as $10 and enable you to say: “Alexa, turn on the lights.” Add smart lightbulbs that can be controlled via voice assistants, as well as other appliances such as the thermostat, door locks, and security cameras. Suddenly, smart homes have become more attainable and cost-effective.

4. Statement ceilings

Finally, a reason to look up! The homes fifth wall is commanding the spotlight In the roaring ’20s, stamped ceilings, such as those plated in copper or tin decorative sheets, were popular. But the trend faded in favor of smooth ceiling finishes. Now, the statement ceiling is back.

This time, however, paint, wallpaper, or wood moldings are the ceiling accents of choice. A statement ceiling can brighten up a space and make it memorable, says Katie Skoloff, principal designer and founder of In Site Designs, an interior design firm in Greenville, S.C. “We find the interest on a ceiling draws the eye up, and you cannot help but feel the space is there to ‘wow’ you,” she says. Wallpapered ceilings, as well as wood beams and coffered ceilings, are today’s standout options.

5. Contrasting kitchen design

Along with more colorful interiors, the white kitchen is fading in favor of a bigger statement, including tuxedo cabinetry, shiny hardware, and brass-trimmed range hoods.

Polished brass on cabinet hardware, range hoods, and appliance handles shines in otherwise white kitchens, appearing to be like jewelry for the space. Café, a hardware line for the GE Appliance brand, offers customizable options in various metals for refrigerator or oven handles. For example, soft-brushed copper handles can be added to a matted white refrigerator for a more contemporary vibe.

Contrasting kitchen cabinets, such as the tuxedo kitchen, also are gaining popularity. The trend calls for upper and lower cabinets to be painted different colors—perhaps white on top and a gray or dark walnut on the bottom. It’s essentially a way to add more visual interest to an otherwise all-white display.

An alternative—and slightly less bold—version of this trend is also taking root, such as all-white cabinets and a contrasting kitchen island in a deep blue, gray, or walnut color.

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Five Star award Winner 2011- 2019 honoring the top 7% of real estate professionals in Oregon.

You may be planning to update the master bath before putting your home on the market or after you’ve purchased a resale home. This is what’s trending among homeowners who renovated their bathrooms within the past 18 months, according to the latest survey conducted by Houzz.com.

· When remodeling master baths, 90% of homeowners change the style. The most popular option right now is transitional, a unique blend of classic traditional and sleek contemporary design.

Comparison shopping is a great American tradition. Most people wouldn’t dream of buying a refrigerator or a smartphone without first comparing features and researching costs. And yet, many home buyers just accept the first mortgage quote they receive from their bank or other lender.

Some buyers may not realize that, with a little effort, they can save thousands of dollars up front and over the life of the loan by comparing quotes from several sources.

TheMortgageReports.com says, “There is no limit to the number of mortgage quotes you can get. A general rule of thumb is to get at least four quotes, in addition to a quote from your own bank or broker.”

Keep in mind that interest rates are constantly changing and mortgage quotes expire quickly. The key to effectively comparing quotes is to set aside a block of time to request and evaluate multiple options at once.

One caveat: Just be sure that you aren’t comparing “apples to oranges” when evaluating the best mortgage quote for your loan. Some lenders may offer you a very low rate, but you may discover the quote includes discount points. “Discount points are actually prepaid interest on the mortgage loan,” says BankRate.com. “The more points you pay, the lower the interest rate on the loan.”

In addition to comparing interest rates on the quotes you receive, you’ll also want to compare closing costs and other fees.

IT’S A GOOD LIFE!!

Five Star award Winner 2011- 2019 honoring the top 7% of real estate professionals in Oregon.